To dump my Ukrainian guests as homeless?

[razzbo]

It's not as evil as it sounds, bear with me. They have been living with me for 6 months and their jobs here have ended. I live in a very rural place, they don't drive and don't speak English. There is basically no chance of them getting other jobs here. The jobs they had here were given out of charity to be honest. They have found new jobs in Scotland - all 3 of them working in the same place, full time, £10 an hour, where there are other Ukrainians. Which I think they are very lucky to get considering they speak no English.

So we looked at finding them somewhere to rent but they looked at the price of rent and said no. They wanted me to find them a new sponsor so they could live for free. I tried my hardest but the council said no, and facebook said no. There are no sponsors. The council said to try the housing associations for a cheap place so I tried them all. Took forever to get answers out of them but the answers were no. They still won't rent privately. Then one of the housing association people suggested I make them homeless so that they get given temporary accommodation. My guests were up for this. I phoned around and found out all the details. 5 separate council employees (both here and in Scotland) said it was an OK idea and that they would be given somewhere to live. The plan was made - I was meant to be taking them next week and leaving them there. I phoned the council in Scotland today to just check the times of the homelessness drop-in and to check whether there was anything else I needed to know. Again, all was fine.

THEN the woman phoned me back to say she'd spoken to her manager who had said that because they are in England now and are registered at my address, they can't be made homeless in Scotland (even though they have jobs there, i.e. a reason to be there). She said that if I took them to the drop-in the council would not accept responsibility for them and would not give them housing and I would actually be making them PROPERLY HOMELESS and they would be sleeping on the street.

I cried on the phone. Basically, the truth is that I have to get rid of them. I can't handle them living in my house any more. I have been so kind and nice to them but it's been too much. They won't leave unless they have jobs to go to as they just want the money. They refuse to rent. I could make them homeless here but I would have to live with them hating me and crying at me (they do this a lot to get their way) while waiting for their new accommodation.

I was so close to being free. If I'd never phoned the council today I could have just taken them to Scotland and left them and been none the wiser about it all. What should I do? If it was you, would you just take them anyway? Surely the council has a duty of care to anyone who turns up saying they are homeless? Surely if you are a homeless human being it doesn't matter which county you last lived in? Also they have a child with them. Surely they will be given somewhere to stay if I take them to the drop-in?

Oh god I feel for you not I just don't know.
Can't they take some ownership of the problem? Could they travel to Scotland by bus and present themselves?

Well they won’t be on the streets with a child, no. Although I guess potentially the mum and child will be given emergency accommodation only.

Just leave them at your local council. They have jobs, they can get benefits.

Why on earth did you volunteer to support them when your situation was so unsuitable? I know people who considered this, and were told that, as they were rural (not very rural, even!) it would be actively unhelpful.

You sound surprised they don't speak English and want to have jobs. Why?

If they travel to Scotland and don’t provide about you and present themselves with their child something will be found. It maybe won’t be great. But it will be a roof.

Most Scots councils will only consider you homeless and offer you temp accommodation if you lived at an address within that local authority boundary immediately prior to becoming homeless. Others used to have a mandatory residency period. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but I wouldn't expect any LA to regard them as their responsibility to house if they have literally just arrived in that LA that day. It doesn't work like that for Scots citizens, so I can't see how they would bend the rules for non-EU folk, even refugees with potential employment.

If they are unwilling to pay rent they are making themselves homeless. It may sound harsh but if they all have jobs they need to find themselves somewhere to live and pay for it. You have been kind enough to help them settle in the UK but now need to let go.

They have jobs to go to where there will be other Ukrainians. If they turn up in Scotland and present themselves as needing accommodation and not give your details they will surely be housed. Just shove them on a train and wave bye bye

You could give Positive Action in Housing a call. Glasgow based but they could advise.

PAiH

Are their no Ukrainians in Scotland who could take them until they get on their feet?

Just take them anyway. 💯

They will sort something out.

You have done more than enough. It sounds like you are getting Stockholm syndrome - you absolutely do not need to do anything more.

You have given 6 months of your home and life to them. They don't want to help themselves. I think I would just leave them there. They have a child so they would have to do something about it

This. Let the council sort them out. If it means they have to get other jobs, so be it.

I think you need proper legal advice . I would try to contact Shelter first thing tomorrow.

in terms of “regular” applicants an LA in Scotland would have a duty to provide temporary accommodation whilst investigating the applicant’s situation.

As far as I know Ukrainian refugees fall outwith this but again you need proper legal advice.

I have a Ukrainian. I took her on knowing that there was a war in her home country.

No. I didn't have an end date to the war... so I expected her to stay for as long as it takes... do I take the money . ? Yes too right.. would I still keep her when it ends.. yes . Absolutely. I didn't do it for the money.

It's a war... the Second World War lasted 6 years.. thank God most of those who took evacuees weren't so mercenary or short sighted !

It's an Honour and a privilege to offer her a home. I can't imagine being told I had to leave my life and go and live in Ukraine with a few days notice.. whilst watching bombs drop in trafalgar Sq !

Really difficult! Ultimately, if they want to go to Scotland, they'll need to pay rent (based on what the pp said re the rules on homelessness in Scotland - you have to be resident there to be declared homeless there). If that's a no, then they can either stay with you or be declared homeless where you live. I imagine that would be an awful conversation to have though. You have my sympathy. It's fine saying "why did you sign up for it...", but it was a really amazing thing to do. It doesn't mean you have to live with them forever though.

I remember reading an article on a woman who had homed a refugee from another country (not ukraine) and she said the hardest thing was telling a refugee you were making them homeless after 6 months or whatever which realistically is just impossible

Notify your local council that you are ending the hosting arrangement with immediate effect. They will then be given accommodation immediately (in a hotel/hostel but they won’t be on the streets)

This whole idea was doomed to failure. Pushing the responsibility for traumatised refugees onto normal people with zero resources was madness.

Take them to Scotland anyway. The government has responsibility towards them, you do not. Don't take in any more refugees.

I couldnt cope.
I'd put it back on them fifty:fifty
Own that you thought you could handle this but you also thought they'd save, work, make efforts to be independent, learn English.....

If they can get jobs in Scotland, could they get similar jobs in England where they would be more easily eligible for emergency housing?

Where do the other people at the job in Scotland live?

Op has 3 to deal with, you've only got one.

Having traumatised strangers in your home who don't speak your language and who don't want to contribute isn't an honour and a privilege. The government has really done a number on a lot of people who are now stuck in a situation they don't want to be in because of this "heroism, honour and privilege" stuff. The government should be housing refugees.

They have jobs but don't want to pay rent. It's a real world, why should they live rent free?

OP your refugees have choices and so do you.

The question is why do they not want to pay rent? Can they not afford it? If they can afford it and all three of them have paying jobs then you have nothing to feel guilty about. Send them to Scotland and if the council don't give them accommodation then they can private rent just the same as us